Night of the Living Dead (1990) 35th Anniversary- 4K HD SteelBook

As the resident Night of the Living Dead reviewer, this latest release of the 1990 remake isn’t my first round for this title. Just for this remake, this disc review will be my third sortie. To that end, I won’t waste much time reiterating what I already wrote before. I’ll paste that here in a moment. But, for this 35th Anniversary, we have something a little special to look at - Tom Savini’s “Uncensored Cut.” 

Now, if you know the movie well and dug into some of the previous editions, Savini has been very clear that he had big aspirations for this remake that were either axed entirely or trimmed for time and budget. Not the least of which was cutting shots of gore to secure the R-rating. The other item of note is that the opening few minutes are in glorious black and white, which was also something Savini wanted as an homage to the original, before it cuts into full color. 

Ostensibly, the film is virtually the same feature we’ve known and loved for 35 years, but now it has a little extra spice and flavor. Running just twelve-ish seconds longer, the film is effectively the same sequence of events, with the same dialogue exchanges and material. The additions are the small microseconds of headshots and exit wounds with every gunshot or head smash. The gore is there, but most importantly, it doesn’t foul up the flow of the film. 

One of the things I tend to hate about most Unrated versions of comedies and horror films is how the added footage can ruin the edit. Timing is just as key in comedy as it is in horror. You screw up that delicate balance of how long the gag runs or when the jumpscare leaps out at you, and suddenly, what worked perfectly in the Theatrical Cut is a limp, lifeless event, all because a few needless seconds were added to the sequence. 

That was my biggest worry sitting in for Savini’s new Uncensored Cut of Night of the Living Dead 1990, but it’s not at all an issue here. We get the gore, we get the aftermath of the violence, but the edit is so tight you notice the differences, but you don’t feel those changes screwing with the flow and pace of the scene. I’ll need to sit with it a few more viewings to fully cement my thoughts, but I’d say after this first run through, the final product is just as good, if not better than the theatrical experience, because now the film finally plays a little closer to what Savini always intended. As he says in the commentary, the Theatrical Cut was about 30% of what he always intended; this new cut is closer to 70%. However, if this new cut isn’t to your liking, you’re all set, as you can enjoy both versions in 1080p and 2160p with this release.

Now, here's what I had to say in previous reviews:

"They're coming to get you, Barbara!"
I'm not someone who is inherently against the idea of a remake, or a reboot, or a relaunch, or whatever trendy term studios are using these days to put out another version of an already established property. My only requirement is that there needs to be a point to the endeavor. The material needs to be taken in a different direction or presented in such a way that it is able to stand on its own two feet and not step on the toes of the original - especially if it's a classic like George Romero's 1968 shocker 'Night of the Living Dead.' Thankfully, the 1990 remake directed by The Godfather of Gore, Tom Savini, and starring Patricia Tallman and Tony Todd, is one of those rare efforts that stays true to the original while also bringing something new to the screen.  

They were just supposed to put a wreath on their mother's grave. It should have been a simple trip for bickering siblings Barbara (Patricia Tallman) and her arrogant older brother Johnnie (Bill Moseley). But a beautiful day quickly turns into a nightmare when a strange man attacks Barbara, and Johnnie is killed trying to defend his sister. Without the keys to the car and more deranged attackers coming after her, Barbara is forced to flee to a nearby farmhouse, hoping that she might be able to find help. The only help comes when Ben (Tony Todd) drives up in his rundown truck and proves he's able to fight off the strange people who appear to be dead - yet alive and moving! 

As the afternoon wanes into night, Barbara and Ben slowly learn the true horror of what faces them. With the world falling apart as the dead rise and start attacking people, it becomes all too clear that the best thing they can do is try and secure the house as best they can until help arrives. What neither Barbara nor Ben expects to find is another band of survivors huddled in the farmhouse's basement. The brash and cowardly Harry Cooper (Tom Towles), his wife Helen (McKee Anderson), his injured daughter Sarah (Heather Mazur), the young Tom (William Butler), and his girlfriend Judy (Katie Finneran) make up Ben and Barbara's reinforcements. As the situation outside worsens, and the number of living dead increases, the decision is made to try to get to the reserve gas pump, fill up Ben's truck, and get everyone out to safety. If anyone is going to survive the night, they're all going to have to work together or end up joining the growing army of the living dead! 

The 1990 remake of 'Night of the Living Dead' worked to serve dual purposes. For starters, it was a chance to reintroduce horror fans to the world of the living dead after the popularity of zombie films had diminished. Most importantly, this remake served as the means for George Romero, Russ Streiner, and John Russo to regain control of the rights to 'Night of the Living Dead.' Due to a copyright oversight, the makers of the original film had effectively lost control of one of the greatest cinematic accomplishments, and this remake gave them the chance to reclaim what was always theirs by bringing something new to theaters. 

As far as remakes go, this 'Night of the Living Dead' is actually a pretty solid effort, it isn't simply the same movie shot again in color like the woefully unnecessary 'Psycho' remake. George Romero served as screenwriter once again and wisely decided to upgrade one of the original film's more languid characters, Barbara this time played by Patricia Tallman. Originally played by Judith O'Dea, the 1968 Barbara was a fragile, near-catatonic woman in a state of shock throughout most of the film. This Barbara starts out as a weak, frail woman who becomes a hardened survivor as a result of being attacked. This changeup not only makes this film a little more interesting, it also brilliantly plays with the themes of female empowerment at a time when the only other real woman action hero was named Ripley. Barbara is Ben's equal in every way, physically and mentally. She has her own ideas about how to survive and how to fight back, leading to several other simple but effective changes to the original film. 

Tony Todd's Ben is equally impressive as Duane Jones' original portrayal. Todd brings the same level of confidence and determination, but brings a sensitivity to the role. You can see the fear in his eyes, but he's not going to let that stop him from doing what he believes is right. Tom Towles as Harry is a ton of fun, even if he's a bit whiny and shouts half his lines. He exudes a sliminess that just makes him fun to hate. McKee Anderson's Helen is also a little more action-oriented, not content to simply sit back and do nothing. You get the sense that if dead people hadn't come back to life and attacked them that her Helen was about ten minutes away from divorcing her jerk of a husband. William Butler's Tom and Katie Finneran's Judy are pretty good; they do what they can with the thin characters, but perhaps they're a bit too old to be playing convincing teenagers. 

At the helm of this outing is the legendary gore master Tom Savini. Considering he created the gore effects for 'Dawn of the Dead,' 'Day of the Dead,' 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,' and made two turns with Jason for the 'Friday the 13th' franchise, it's amazing that this movie is his only feature film directorial effort to date, a crowd-funded remake of 'Nightmare City' is in the works. Savini proves he has a knack for directing by keeping his camera moving in tight locations, building the action and suspense, and staging some pretty decent dramatic moments with his cast. His 'Night of the Living Dead' proves to be an effective, creepy remake that stands alongside the original film. It doesn't outshine it, but then it never had to. Like the best of remakes, it stands apart and does its own thing with the material. I've been a fan of this movie since the first time I saw it nearly twenty years ago. Like the original, I've watched it countless times, and I never seem to get tired of it. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Rising from the grave of so many Blu-ray releases past, 1990’s Night of the Living Dead stalks 4K Ultra HD for the first time as a two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital SteelBook release. Both the 4K and 1080p Blu-rays offer the original Theatrical Cut and the new Uncensored Cut. The 4K is pressed on a BD100 disc, a BD50 serves up the 1080p, and the bulk of the bonus features. The included digital code only unlocks the Theatrical Cut in 4K. The new SteelBook replicates the excellent theatrical poster artwork (thankfully not the spoiler-filled video store artwork). The discs load to a menu letting you select which version you want to watch before moving along to a static image main menu with basic navigation options and bonus features along the right side of the screen.

At long last, Sony digs up Tom Savini’s Night of the Living Dead to celebrate its 35th Anniversary on 2160p Dolby Vision. If that’s not enough, we get two different cuts of the film to digest. Starting with the Uncensored Cut, the opening four-plus minutes in black and white is striking and pretty damn cool-looking. It succeeds in its mission to evoke that vibe of the 1968 original before it crashes into modern full color during the cemetery scene. But that burst doesn’t falter. That opening, we get a terrific grayscale with appropriately moody whites, blacks, and shadows. Then it cuts to full color, and it’s quite the appropriate jump, considering when in the film that happens. Aside from the edits for the exit wounds and extra gore, the two cuts run the same for color saturation, details, shadows, black levels, etc. 

Details are sharp and clear; previous instances of grit, dirt, or speckling have been cleaned up nicely. Facial features, the production design of the farmhouse, and the zombie makeup - all look terrific. The Dolby Vision grade offers excellent colors, allowing the bright primaries to pop while maintaining healthy skin tones for our living cast members. The undead are appropriately gnarly. Film grain is well rendered and appropriately cinematic without being intrusive or noisy. Also, just as important as all other things in this film, there are no signs of that Bizarro World color timing from the old controversial Twilight Time Blu-ray. Both cuts look terrific on 4K, a genuinely great restoration for this title, so even if you don’t love the new cut, the Theatrical version looks just as good in 4K.

Staying true to form, given the multiple cuts, we have multiple audio options to choose from. The Theatrical Cut has a new Dolby Atmos, a DTS-HD MA 5.1, and a DTS-HD MA 2.0 audio mix. The Uncensored Cut has the Dolby Atmos track and DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. No 2.0 option for this one. For the Atmos, the mix makes great use of the locations. Within that farmhouse and the flurry of activity as they’re trying to secure the space, the hammering and thumping around fills that space nicely. When the activity moves into the basement, the height channels pick up all of that overhead activity through the walls. It’s pretty effective stuff; watching late last night, it sounded like someone was above my head trying to renovate my upstairs for free! I really liked that the mix was active and distinct without sounding overworked or revisionist. Gunshots sounded like they hit with a slightly different timbre, but nothing "puney or neutered like, say, The Terminator and the reworked gunshots for that film.

The DTS-HD MA 5.1 tracks for both cuts of the film are identical, with minor adjustments made for the slightly different edits, particularly in the kills and a few lines of dialogue towards the end. I sampled some of the 2.0 mix for the Theatrical Cut and was pleased to hear that it worked very well on its own. I missed some of the spread through the channels present on the 5.1 and Atmos tracks, but I really enjoyed how it sounded tight and claustrophobic. It’s a shame it’s only available for the Theatrical Cut, because I think I enjoyed the 2.0 more than the 5.1 experience. That said, I’d still prop the new Atmos mix higher up the food chain above all others. 

If two versions of the film with multiple audio options weren’t enough, Sony went all out for this 35th Anniversary edition of Night of the Living Dead 1990. Specifically for the Uncensored Cut, we have a great new commentary with Savini, moderated by Michael Felsher. Savini tells a few old stories we’d heard in the archival commentary (which returns for the Theatrical Cut), but with Felsher, there’s a great interplay between the two as more details about the film and this new cut come to light. Keeping things archival, extras that were included for Umbrella’s Blu-ray are also included here. But now the true fun starts as Michael Felsh produced a bunch of great new cast and crew interviews! Two cuts, two commentaries, with over three hours of new and archival interviews and making-of content - every film should be so lucky on its 35th Anniversary. 

4K UHD

• NEW Uncensored Cut Audio Commentary featuring Tom Savini and Michael Felsher
• Archival Theatrical Cut Audio Commentary featuring Tom Savini 

Blu-ray

• NEW Uncensored Cut Audio Commentary featuring Tom Savini and Michael Felsher
• Archival Theatrical Cut Audio Commentary featuring Tom Savini
• Savini’s Night with Director Tom Savini (HD 27:54)
• Being Barbara with Patricia Tallman (HD 16:27)
• NEW Oh, Brother! with Bill Mosely (HD 11:51)
• Return to the Living Dead (HD 21:00)
• NEW Time with Tom and Actor William Butler (HD 15:56)
• NEW Flesh & Blood with McKee Anderson & Heather Mazur (HD 23:51)
• NEW In Living Dead Color with John Russo and Russell Streiner (HD 18:08)
• NEW Cutting the Dead with Tom Dubensky (HD 19:57)
• NEW The Dead Speak! With Greg Funk and Dyrk Ashton (HD 16:41)
• The Dead Walk: Making-of (SD 24:52)
• Theatrical Trailer

Daring to remake a genuine horror classic is practically a criminal offense in the eyes of many genre fans. Why try to redo what was already made perfectly well the first time around? But Night of the Living Dead isn’t like most films. Partly due to its copyright status and the fact that enough time had gone by, 1990 felt like the right time to give George Romero and John Russo’s terrifying creation another run for modern audiences. King of Splatter gore effects, Tom Savini got the job of breathing new life into the classic while giving it a suitable update, allowing it to stand apart as its own monster. This remake stands where so many fall, alongside its predecessor, as a worthy new edition that is both familiar and charts its own path. Psycho this is not.

After 35 years, Night of the Living Dead 1990 has earned a living, breathing cult following all its own and now we get to celebrate its anniversary in style with a striking 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray SteelBook release from Sony. Not content to simply give us the same film we know and love again in 2160p and HDR, Tom Savini got to deliver a new Uncensored Cut that’s as close as possible to his original intention with a Black and White opening and all the kill effects restored. If two versions in Dolby Vision HDR weren’t enough, we get to enjoy a terrific new Atmos mix with legacy audio options on top of hours of newly produced extras and archival bonus features! If you’re a fan of Night of the Living Dead 1990 - this is an essential pick up. For you folks, I'm calling it a Must Own - if you haven't ordered it already, hold tight, more are sure to be on the way. No reason to go in for the scalper prices.